Because no two fields are alike? We don't do anything even remotely scientifically in this industry because it's one of the few where we don't need to for various reasons
I've always thought that true engineering is anything that involves human lives. Bridges, pipes, roads, pace makers, space ships, rockets. Websites don't kill people, it ain't engineering.
That doesn't sound right. Most applications of electronic engineering are not safety-critical, unless we count requirements such as avoiding improper use of toxic chemicals, but setting the bar that low would mean just about any physical undertaking counts as safety-critical.
Projects like the Linux kernel, or the HotSpot and LLVM compiler systems, presumably count as engineering. Building a new GPU presumably counts as engineering. These systems aren't intended for safety-critical use, though.
Another example: it still counts as aeronautical engineering even if you're building an unmanned drone that only ever flies in a lab.
